• MSids@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    9 days ago

    Checksums wouldnt work well for their purposes if they could easily be made to match any desired checksum. It’s one way math.

    • mox@lemmy.sdf.orgOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      9 days ago

      One-way math doesn’t preclude finding a collision.

      (And just to be clear, checksum in the context of this conversation is a generic term that includes cryptographic hashes and perceptual hashes.)

      Also, since we’re talking about a list of checksums, an attacker wouldn’t even have to find a collision with a specific one to get someone in trouble. This makes an attack far easier. See also: the birthday problem.